Thread advancing reel



Nov. 25, 1952 H. A. KULJIAN THREAD ADVANCING REEL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledOct. 15, 1948 KI i.

Nov. 25, 1952 Filed Oct. 15, 1948 H. A. KULJIAN 2,618,836

THREAD ADVANCING REEL .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 6/ INVENT9IS.

grrj 4 2/9147? W 7 NOV. 25, 1952 KULJIAN 2,618,836

T READ Filed 001.. 15, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Nov. 25, 1952THREAD ADVANCIN G REEL Harry A. Kuljian, Merion, Pa., assignor to TheKuljian Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of PennsylvaniaApplication October 15, 1948, Serial No. 54,666

1 Claim. 1

In the manufacture, or in the processing of synthetic or natural threadby the continuous process method, the freshly extruded filament, or thethread to be processed, is caused to travel, in the form of a helix,longitudinally of a thread storing and advancin device, and, while somoving, the thread or filament is treated with various liquids for thepurpose of regenerating such filament, or for producing other desiredresults on the thread.

For simplicity and brevity, in the following specification referencewill be made to the manufacture of synthetic filaments only, but it willbe understood that the invention is applicable to the treatment ofsynthetic or natural filaments.

Other things being equal, the speed with which the filament comes offthe thread storing and advancing device is an important factor indetermining the rate of production, and, hence, the cost of thefilament.

When the thread storing and advancing device is of the cage type formedof reciprocating bars, the strength of the filament, the repeatedstretching of the filament by the action of the cage, and the structureof the cage itself all combine to place narrow limits on the speed withwhich the filament can be moved along the cage.

When the thread storing and advancing device is of the reel type, whichis formed of two or more elongated rolls, the speed of the movement ofthe filament along the rolls can, at least theoretically, be greatlyincreased by increasing the R. P. M., and, hence, the peripheral speedof the rolls. In practice, however, it is impossible to increase therate of rotation of the rolls enough to produce a substantial increasein the rate ofproduction because increasing the R. P. M. of the rolls,especially when such rolls have a relatively small diametercorrespondingly increases the centrifugal force acting on the filamentand on the liquids applied to the filament; and the increasedcentrifugal force tends, among other things, to throw off the treatingliquids before they have had time to complete the regeneration, or otherprocessing, of the filament.

For example, and according to the formula and if the peripheral speed ofa 3 inch diameter roll is assumed to be five feet per second we havewhere M represents the mass.

If the peripheral speed of the 3 inch roll is increased to 10 feet persecond, we have (2) M=800(M) where M represents the mass.

Because centrifugal force increases as the square of the peripheralspeed, production cannot be appreciably increased by merely increasingthe peripheral speed of rolls having, a relatively small diameter suchas the three inch rolls referred to.

However, if the 3 inch diameter rolls are allowed to rotate about theiraxes so as to have a peripheral speed of 5 feet per second, and if allof the rolls are simultaneously rotated in the form of a reel about acommon axis so that the reel will have a peripheral speed of 5 feet persecond, also, we will have a total peripheral speed the reel itself isassumed to be 14 inches.

(4) (1) plus (3)=243 M, or an increase of only 43 M in the centrifugalforce developed while the total peripheral speed has been doubled.

While this is satisfactory, it is obvious that 1 by extension of thisprinciple the centrifugal force can be decreased to a value below 200 Mwhile the total peripheral speed is maintained at 10 feet per second.

For example, the peripheral speed of the 3 inch rolls can be reduced to,say, 3 feet per second and the peripheral speed of the reel itself canbe increased to, say, 7 feet per second, in which case we have for the 3inch roll And for the reel as a whole we have (6) 49(712) (7) (5) plus(6)=156M From the foregoing examples, which should be understood asillustrating, but not as limiting, the invention, it will be seen thatthe total peripheral speed, and, hence, the rate of production, can beincreased while the total centrifugal force is actually decreased. Bythis arrangement, also, the loss due to liquids being thrown off bycentrifugal force is reduced.

It is, therefore, the main object of the invention to increase theperipheral speed of a rotating reel type of thread storing and advancingdevice so as to increase the rate of production of the filament while atthe same time decreasing, instead of increasing, the centrifugal forceacting on the filament and on the liquids applied to said filament.

The manner in which my invention is practiced will be more clearlyunderstood from the following specification and the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view of a thread storing andadvancing device embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the parts ina different operative position.

Fig. 5 is a section on 1ine 5-5 on Fi 1.

In order to carry out my invention, I use a reel type of thread storing"and advancing device formed of a plurality of elongated rolls arrangedcircularly about a central common axis and I provide means for rotatingsaid rolls individually about their respective axes, and for rotatingall of the rolls, as a unit, about said common central axis. I alsopredetermine the rates of rotation of the rolls about their individualaxes and about the common central axis so as to obtain part of thelinear speed of the thread-from the rotation of the rolls about theirindividual axes and part from the rotation of the rolls about the commonaxis. By this arrangement, the rates of rotation are so controlled thata greatlyincreased total peripheral speed, and, hence, production, isobtained while the total centrifugal force is either decreased or isonly slightly increased according to the values selected for V, for therotation of the individual rolls about their individual axes and for therotation of the rolls as a unit about a common axis, in accordance withthe formula above set forth.

As shown, I provide a suitable support ID, which carries a fixed housingI2. Within the housing I2 is an outer sleeve I4, the enlarged outer endI6 of which carries an internally toothed ring gear I8. The sleeve I4also carries a main drive gear 29 which is adapted to be driven by agear 22 on a shaft 24. The shaft 24 also carries a gear 26, which isdriven by a pinion 23 on the shaft of a motor M.

The ring gear I8 meshes with eight gears 32 carried by eight shafts 34,which carry eight elongated rolls 36. Any desired number of rolls may beused, and the axes of these rolls are skewed with reference to a centralcommon horizontal axis whereby, when a thread is laced about the rollsso as to be tangent to all of them, and the rolls are rotated abouttheir own axes, the filament will move in a helical path longitudinallyof'the rolls. In the present instance, the filament will move from rightto left as viewed in Fig. 1.

The shafts 34 of rolls 36 also carry gears 40 adapted to mesh with aplanetary gear 42, which is carried by a sleeve 44 through which passesthe center post 46 of the apparatus. The center post 46 is journalled,at one end thereof, for rotation in bearings 48 carried by the fixedhous- 46, by means of a lever 50, only a portion of which is shown inthe drawings. The sleeve 44 is provided with a first clutch formed of afriction cone 52 which is adapted to engage a similar friction cone 54on the adjacent end of sleeve I4, and with a second clutch formed offriction cone 53 which is adapted to engage a similar friction cone 55formed on the adjacent end of fixed housing I2. Thus, when the firstclutch is engaged (cones 52, 54) the sleeve 44 is locked to, and willrotate with the sleeve I4 and, when the second clutch is engaged, sleeveI4 being locked to fixed housing I2, can not rotate. By thisarrangement, when the parts are in the position of Fig. l, the rolls arerotated, about their respective axes, through gears 32, ring gear I8,gear 20, gear 22, gear 26 and gear 28. Because gears 40, on the innerends of shafts 34, engage gear 42 on sleeve 44 (which is now locked tofixed housing I2), the reel, as a whole, will rotate about the axis ofcenter post 46. Since center post 46 is keyed, as at 41 to bearinghousings 49, the post 46 also rotates upon rotation of the reel. Whenthe parts are in the position of Fig. 4, sleeve 44 is disengaged fromfixed housing I2 and is locked to, and rotates with, sleeve I4. In thisposition, gear 42, gears 40, ring gear I8 and gears 32 are rotated atthe same speed and therefore the rolls 36 will not be rotated abouttheir respective axes. Again because the center post is keyed at 41, itwill rotate with the reel. In other words, in the position of Fig. 1,the reel will rotate about the axis of center post 46 and the rolls willrotate about their own axes, and in the position of Fig. 4, the rollsare stationary and only the reel rotates about the axis of center post46.

By providing the proper ratio between the gears 26 and 22, the reel, asa whole, can be made to rotate about the axis of center post 46 at arate which will produce a thread linear speed of 600 feet per minute. Bythis arrangement, the filament is laced while the peripheral speed ofthe reel equals the maximum peripheral speed to which the filament willultimately be subjected, and, therefore, the filament is subjected tothe maximum stretching while it is still unregenerated and can be safelystretched. After the filament has been laced and has formed a helixcircumscribing all of the rolls, the parts are moved back to theposition of Fig. 1, in which the reel, as a whole, will have aperipheral speed of 300 feet per minute and the rolls themselves willhave a peripheral speed of 300 feet per minute, thus producing a totalthread linear speed of 600 feet per minute.

Reverting to the formula first above exemplified, we find that byrotating the rolls about their own axes at a rate of speed to produce,say, 300 feet of yarn per minute, the centrifugal force will be 200 Mand that, by rotating the rolls individually and at the same timerotating the reel as a whole, so as to produce 600 feet per minute, thecentrifugal force is only increased from 200 M to 243 M.

A freshly coagulated filament is passed over a godet wheel, or wheels,before being wound about the reel. Now, if the end of such filamentcomes in contact with any of the individually rotating rolls, it tendsto wind about such roll. If to overcome this, the rolls are held againstrotation, and only the reel as a whole is rotated during the winding, orlacing of the filament about the reel, and if, after the filament iswound about the reel the individual rolls are rotated in such a fashionthat the peripheral speed of the rolls is added to the peripheral speedof the reel, the sudden increase in speed will either overstretch, orwill break the filament.

By my invention, the reel, as whole, is first rotated at the maximumdesired speed, that is the speed at which the yarn will be produced,sueh as 600 feet per minute, while the individual rolls are held againstrotation. After the lacing operation, the speed of the reel is cut downto produce 300 feet a minute and the rolls are rotated about their ownaxes at a speed to produce 300 feet a minute. This is donesimultaneously so that as far as the filament is concerned, there is nosudden and excessive burst of speed. This not only facilitates lacing ofthe filament about the reel, but it also doubles the production whileonly very slightly increasing the centrifugal force.

From the foregoing it will be seen that in addition to the apparatusdescribed, I have also invented a novel method for manufacturingsynthetic filaments or for processing the same whereby the rate ofproduction can be doubled over what is now possible by the use ofmethods and devices now in practice.

It will also be seen that the apparatus is easy to manufacture andassemble and that operation of the apparatus and the carrying out of themethod are also easy.

What I claim is:

A thread storing and advancing reel including a fixed housing, a firstrotatable sleeve carried by said housing, a ring gear carried by saidfirst sleeve, a second rotatab e sleeve disposed within said firstsleeve, a planetary gear carried by said second sleeve, a center postdisposed within said second sleeve, a plurality of rolls arranged in acircle about said center post, bearings in which the shafts of saidrolls are journalled for individual rotation about their respectiveaxes, means connecting said center post to said bearings for jointrotation about the axis of said center post, means for rotating saidfirst sleeve, a first pinion carried by the shaft of each of said rollsand in mesh with said ring gear, a second pinion carried by the shaft ofeach of said rolls in mesh with said planetary gear, means for lockingsaid second sleeve to said fixed housing, and means for locking saidsecond sleeve to said first sleeve for joint rotation about the axis ofsaid center post.

HARRY A. KULJIAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 758,520 Fredenburgh Apr. 26, 19041,920,224 Weaver Aug. 1, 1933 2,136,556 Lovett Nov. 15, 1938 2,302,508Sordelli Nov. 1'7, 1942 2,475,483 Dasher July 5, 1949

